Apparatus for testing electric lines



(No Model.) I

vB. B, WATERS.

APPARATUS FOR TESTING ELECTRIC LINES. No. 427,208. Patented Ma 6, 1890.

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I'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

BENJAMIN E. WATERS, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO- THIRDS TO lVALTER F. JONES, OF SAME PLACE, AND MOSES E. HATCH, OF NElV BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR TESTING ELECTRIC LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,208, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed January 6, 1890. Serial No. 335 969. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN E. WVATERS, of Brockton, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve- 5 ment in Apparatus for Testing Electric Lines,

of which the following description, in connection with' the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to an apparatus for facilitating the operation of testing electric llnes, which apparatus is used where a large number of lines radiate out from a single station or central office, as in a telephone-exchange, and will for convenience be described as used in a telephone-exchange, although it is obvious that it is applicable to other similar apparatus. In cases where lines extend some considerable distance-eight or ten miles, for eXample-from the central office, if a trouble occurs on the line it is necessary to send an operator over the line in order to discover where the fault exists, as it may be on any part of the line, and it is customary to go 2 5 to some intermediate point and ground or open circuit the line, as the case may require, in order to discover whether a break or cross exists between the point at which the said operator is stationed and the main office,

0 or in the portion of the line on the side away from the main office. It is thus frequently necessaryto send the operator a considerable distance when the fault really exists quite near to the main office; and the object of the 3 5 present invention is to provide means for opening or grounding a line at any required distance from the main office, the said grounding or. opening operation being effected by the operator at the main office, so that the proper tests may be made and it may be learned at which side of the point where the grounding or 'opening is made the fault exists. In order to accomplish this result in accordance with this invention, an instrument is placed at any desired point, preferably a point traversed by a considerable number of lines, as a single instrument can be used for several lines.

The said instrument consists, essentially,

of a clock-work or motor, which may be inclosed in a suitable box or case mounted upon an ordinary telegraph-pole, or in any building or structure on which the main-line wires are supported, which motor operates switches, one for each of the main lines, and is so arranged as to operate the several switches of the main line consecutively and at different times in its movement. The said motor is controlled as to its movement by an electromagnet, the armature of which constitutes or operates the detent for the motor, so that by. energizing the said magnet the motor is started, and by demagnetizing the said magnet the said motor may be arrested at any desired time in its movement when it has operated the switch in the line to be tested. There are two stops corresponding to each switch or line, which come consecutively to the detent, and if the motor is arrested by one of said stop-pointsit open-circuits the corresponding main line, and if at the other stop-point it grounds the main line. The controlling electro-magnet is connected by a circuit with the station from. which the tests are to be made, and at said station there is amotor having a movement synchronous with that of the switch-operating motor and set in motion simultaneously therewith, so that the operator may know at what moment to change the circuit in order to arrest the switch-oper- 8o ating motor at the desired point.

Figure l is a front elevation of a motor or indicator at the testing-station; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the switch-controlling motor; Fig. 3, a plan View of the switches and 00- operating portion of the switch-controlling motor, and Figs. 4 and 5 details showing one of the switches in different positions.

The apparatus is shown as adapted to cooperate with two main-line circuits, (reprec sentedat 2 3, Fig. 3,) although it will be un-' derstood that a single circuit or a large number of circuits might be operated by the apparatus, if desired. At the point Where the circuit is to be opened or grounded for the 5 purpose of making the test each of said. circuits includes a circuit-closer or switching device a a shown as consisting of a spring normally resting on a contact-piece or anvil 0/ C630, so that the circuit 2 3 is normally com plete and unbroken at the switch. The portion of the circuit leading out from the testing-station is connected with the spring of the switch, and it will be seen that if the forming one of these operationsthat is,

either open-cireuiting or grounding the portion of the line extending from the test-station at the switchit will be possible to determine by the usual tests whether the said line is crossed or broken between the teststation and the switch. 111 order to perform either one of these operations by any one of the switches a a that may be connected with a given testing-station, the said springs are controlled by movable projections or cams, (shown as formed on disks b 11 connected with a shaft 0, actuated by a clock-work or motor (I, asufficient portion of which is shown in Fig. 2 to illustrate its relation to the said shaft 0. The movement of the said shafts is controlled by a detent or stop device, one meinber'of which consists of a wheel or disk 6 upon the shaft 0, and the other member of which consists of or is operated by the armature-lever f of an electro magnet g. The disks 6 b have projections Z2 b which in the rotation of said disk raise the springs d a of the switches from their anvil-piece 60 a and in the continuous rotation of the shaft 0 the several projections b Z1 and so on, as many as there may be, come successively into position to act 011 the corresponding springs a a and so on, so that in the continuous rotation of the shaft 0 the said springs will be raised one after the other, but

'will be successively permitted to fall back onto the anvil-piece each just before the next one is raised by the corresponding projection. The said projections Z) 6 are each made part of conducting and part of insulating material, as shown at h 7L2, and when the portion his in engagement with the end of the spring of the corresponding switchthe said spring is in electrical connection with the disk; but when the insulating portion 7L2 of the projection is under the spring the latter is completely insulated, except at its connection with the main line leading from the teststation, which line is then open at the switch.

The detent-wheel e is provided with two sets of stops, one consisting of shoulders 6 similar to ratchet-teeth which directly co-operate with the end of the armature-lever), which preferably has an insulated piece,

against which the said shoulders 8 rest, they stopping the shaft 0 each when a corresponding spring of the switch is on the insulating portion h of its projection. The other set of stops consists of lateral projections or pins 6 extending from the side of the disk 6 to the position to be engaged with a pin f from the armature-lever f, the pins 6 and f making electrical connection when engaged with one another, and arresting the shaft 0 when the corresponding spring of one of the switches is on the conducting portion of its lifting projection Z2 12 &c.

The armaturelever f is connected with the ground by a wire, (indicated at 4, Figs. 2 and 3,) and it is operated at the magnet g in such manner that when the said magnet is energized the armature f and its projections f are wholly removed from the path of the detent projections c 6 so that the shaft 0 may be rotated by the clock-work or motor d, which is so constructed as to rotate the said shaft with a substantially uniform time movement. Then if the magnet g be demagnetized just before one of the shoulders e arrives opposite its end it will engage the said shoulder and stop the rotation of the shaft 0 with one of the switch-springs raised from its anvilpiece and resting on the insulating portion 72,2 of its lifting projection, as shown in Fig. 4:, so that said spring is insulated from the disk, and as further precaution the disk is insulated from the shoulder f by the insulating-piece in the end thereof, against which the shoulder e rests. If the first shoulder c to arrive is thus arrested, the spring-switch of one of the circuitsas 2, for examplewill be raised and such circuit opened at the switch. If the next shoulder e is engaged, the spring of the next circuit-3, for example-will be raised and the said circuit opened at the switch, and so 011 for as many circuits as there may be.

The projections e of the detent-wheel are about midway between the shoulders c and if the magnet g be demagnetized just after one of the shoulders c has passed the end of the armature-lever the projection 6 next beyond said shoulder will be arrested by the projection f of the armature, thus stopping the shaft while the springs of the switch which is raised from its anvil-piece rests on the conducting portion .71. of its lifting projection, as shown in Fig. 5, and is thereby electrically conneeted through the detent projections e f of the armature f and by wire 4 to the ground. Stopping the motor by the first projection will thus ground one circuit. Stopping it by the next projection will ground the next, and so on for as many circuits as there may be, and it is consequently necessary only for the operator at the testing-station to cause the proper movements of the armature f, in order that any one of the circuits to be tested may be opened or grounded, as desired, for making the test which may be found necessary. In order to afford such control of the armaturef, the magnet g is connected by circuit 5 with the main or testing station containing the indicating instrument, (shown in Fig. 1,) and also containing at said station a circuit-closer 'i, which may be a manual-key or puslrbutton, and a battery 13.

IIO

The indicating instrument consists of a clock or train of wheel-work 76, having a stop or detent m, and an indicating dial or disk 0,

which is operated by said motor at a definite rate of speed corresponding to that of the motor (Z of the switch-operating instrument, the said dial being provided with marks or indications numbered or designated in any suitable manner, which, if said motor be started in unison with the motor d, will pass by the indicating-point at the same moment that the projections b I) lift the springs of the switches, and at or just before the moment when the detent-shoulders of the detentwheel pass the corresponding engaging portions of the armature As shown, in this instance, the dial 0 is provided with graduations. (Marked successively 1 1 2 2 and so on.)

In operation, when a fault or trouble is discovered in any given line, the operator is enabled to determine whether the said fault is between the test-station and the switch-instrument or beyond the switch-instrument, as

follows: If the fault is a cross or something of that nature, it will be necessary to open the circuit at the switch in order to determine whether the cross is beyond the switchor not, and if the fault is a break it will be necessary to ground the circuit. To perform one of these operations, the operator at the test-station starts the indicating-instrument by releasing its stop or detent m, and

the instant that the zero point or mark on the dial 0 of said instrument passes the stationary indicating-point 0 the operator closes the circuit at i, thus energizing the magnet g and permitting the motor (I to move. Then, if the desired circuit is to be opened, the operator watches until the number of said circuit on the dial arrives at the indexpoint 0 and if the circuit is to be grounded he watches until the mark designated by the number of the circuit and the letter G arrives opposite the said index-point, at which time in either case he opens the circuitcloser i and thus causes the magnet g to be demagne'tized and its armature f to be re tracted. If this operation were performed when a circuit-number passed the indexpoint, the detent would engage atthe shoulders 6 corresponding to the circuit in question, and the switch-actuating motor would thus be stopped with the switch of said circuit open. If, on the other hand, the circuit-closer "L were opened when one of the numbers characterized by the letter G was oppositethe index-point, the motor of the switch-operatin g instrumentwould be stopped by engagement of one of the projections (1 and the switch-spring of the corresponding circuit would be disconnected with the portion of said switch beyond the switch-operating instrument, but would be connected with the ground through the said instrument. Thus the location of the fault either between the switch-operating instrument and the test-station or beyond the switch-operating instrument can be determined from the test-station without sending an operator out, and thus effect a great saving over the methods of testing now commonly in use. p

The disk 0 and index-point 0 are shown as included in the circuit 5 of the magnet g, and they might be arranged to close and open the said circuit automatically at the proper times;

but, as shown in this instance, the dial o is merely a tim e-measurer to be watched by the operator, who manipulates the key 2 accordingly.

The detent on may be operated by hand, or

if the time-indicating instrument is not within reach the said detent may be operated by an electro-magnet m as shown, the circuit of which is controlled by a key m placed at any point convenient to the operator.

I claim 1. The combination of a circuit or main line of electric communication with a normallyclosed switch included in said circuit at an intermediate point, a switch-operating motor,

whereby said switch is opened, and an electromagnet controlling said motor and circuit therefor extending to a test-station for said main-line circuit, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a circuit or main line switch member and being connected with the.

ground, a detent for said motor having stoppoints corresponding to different positions of said switch-controlling surface, and an electro-magnet controlling said detent, substantially as described.

3. The combination of two or more lines of electric communication with normallyclosed switches included in the said line, a switchoperating motor having a time-movement, and a switch-controlling surface operated thereby, which engage. one member of each of said switches and open the said switches successively at definite times in the movement of said motor, a detent for said motor having stop-points correspoudingto the said surfaces, an electro-magnet controlling the said detent and a circuit therefor extending to a test-station, and a time-indicator atsaid test-station synchronous with said motor and graduated with said detent stop-points, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN E. WATERS.

Witnesses:

J 0s. 1. LIVERMORE, M. E. HILL. 

